Month: February 2018

Trading Corn Fields for Pine Trees

Posted on by Titus Tomlinson

By Elizabeth Gronert

Before my year of service began, I had no idea what kind of impact the RARE program would have on my life. Upon learning of my final placement in Bandon, I thought of the changes to come. I would be trading cornfields and the Iowa River, for pine trees and the Pacific Ocean… I would be working in a community that needed my help… my job would allow me to pursue my sustainability passions… I would be living off a reasonable income… I would be working towards an education stipend to help pay off my student loans…all I had to do was move half way across the country for a year. Not too shabby of a deal.

So my partner, pup and I whittled our lives down to what would fit in a mini van, Subaru forester and car topper. Packed to the brim, we started our journey across the country. As soon as I was on the Oregon South Coast the incredible opportunity RARE was giving me began to set in. Like many rural communities, Bandon is a hidden gem. The South Coast in general is hard to get to but once you arrive it is more than worth it. Since the focus of my placement is tourism destination development, it was very easy to start my year of service with a passion to develop and promote the South Coast.

The opportunities you can have in RARE, both professionally and personally, is really unparalleled. When I started my position I was thrown into this huge network of movers and shakers in the area. Within my first month, my professional network had quadrupled (in the least). Where I once sat in on meetings, I now lead some of them. Where I once created plans in college, I was now seeing them through implementation.

These communities feed off of the excitement and passion a RARE member brings to the table. It reflects in the endless opportunities people present you with, as well as the ones you can create for yourself. If you are looking for an opportunity to grow as a person and make a difference, RARE is the program for you.

A bit about Elizabeth Gronert:

  • Currently serving as South Coast Tourism Development Project Coordinator with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association – A Travel Oregon Sponsored Placement
  • Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science, Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, Certificate in Sustainability, University of Iowa, May 2017
  • People may be surprised… “when they learn that I have hand fed a jaguar while in Belize.”

Does community development work interest you?  Are you looking for a life changing experience in rural Oregon?  Learn more about serving with the RARE AmeriCorps Program via our website: https://rare.uoregon.edu/application-process/member-application-process/

 

Why Serving Rural Teaches You Something School Can’t

Posted on by Titus Tomlinson

By Ali Salzer

Since beginning my term of service in rural Oregon, my motto, maybe you could consider it a mantra, has been: Just Go With It. Serving in a rural community as part of the RARE Program is a way of forcing yourself out into something often messy, unpredictable, and constantly fluctuating. It will require you to consider your own preconceptions, reevaluate your own goals, and draw from a skillset that is more diverse and developed than you thought.

When you show up on your first day and you don’t even know your way around your little town yet – just go with it.

When you are asked to speak impromptu about your work at a region-wide stakeholder meeting, and you take the microphone in front of 50 people – just go with it.

When you need to organize one meeting with the University President, three mayors, two superintendents, and five other government officials, and you have to find a time and place that works for all of them – just go with it.

When you have the chance to travel all over the state of Oregon to participate in trainings, forums, symposiums, summits, and conferences – just go with it.

When the afternoon meeting turns into beers at the local tap house – just go with it.

When you realize there are some real people genuinely interested in the work you’re doing – keep going with it.

You will learn the talents of being spontaneous and present. By participating in and observing the community around you, you will begin seeing what matters to people, and see changes in yourself. Being deeply involved in a community is a life skill, and one that can only be developed through practice.

When I finished my undergraduate degree, I was seeking somewhere I could apply my ideas and thoughts in a real way. It mattered to me to do something I felt would have a tangible impact on individuals or a community. The RARE program has surely been that, and has taught me things I could not have learned any other way.

A bit about Ali Salzer:

  • Currently Serving as Tourism Development Coordinator with the Polk County Tourism Alliance – A Travel Oregon Sponsored Placement
  • Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, University of Arizona Honors College, May 2016
  • People may be surprised… “when they learn that I lived in ten houses by the time I was ten years old.”

Does community development work interest you?  Are you looking for a life changing experience in rural Oregon?  Learn more about serving with the RARE AmeriCorps Program via our website: https://rare.uoregon.edu/application-process